Knit fabric



(Specimens.)

2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

C. HEINOLD.

KNIT FABRIC.

. No. 430,803. mgl. Patentedmne zdlbzhsqgg..

' Conrad Heinold dll'mncnl (Specimens.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. HEINOLD. KNIT FABRIC.

No. 430,803. Patented June 24,1890.`

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

CONRAD IIEINOLD, OF LAKE, ILLINOIS.

KNIT FABRIC.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,803, dated June 24,1890.

Application led November 22, 1888. Serial No. 291,540. (Specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD IIEINOLD, of La ke, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented anewand Improved Knit JFabric, of whichthe following is a specifica- This improved fabric is intended moreparticularly for use in hammocks, the fabric belng especially adaptedfor this purpose on account of its strength and elasticity. The improvedfabric is knitted in such manner that thc loops thereof are lockedtogether so that if a thread breaks its ends will be firmly clamped, sothat the fabric Will not unravel. The improved fabric has been knittedby me on large 'wooden knitting-needles, the diameter of the needlesdetermining the size of the meshes and two of the needles being used.

In order that the characteristic features of the fabric and the methodof making it may be clearly understood, the method of making will firstbe specifically described, and then the peculiar features of the fabricwill be pointed out. y

The invention is illustrated in the aecompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a view of a portion of the body of the improved fabric, andFigs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are views illustrative of the different steps inthe making of the same.

The material preferably used in the making of the fabric is seine twineor cord,which is strong in itself and inelastic, so that it is admirablyadapted for knitting, since it will not bind upon the needles, and willgive the finished fabric a symmetrical appearance.

The fabric is commenced by casting onto one of the needles A a series ofloops or stitches a d, the number of which is determined by the size ofthe fabric to be made. These loops or stitches are cast on in anywell-known method of plain knitting which will produce aseries ofinitial loops or stitches. Fig. 2 shows the loop-holding needle A,provided with a series of such loops or stitches in readiness forcommencing the knitting of the stitch or, loop peculiar to the improvedfabric. v

The knitting is carried on with the second or working needle B, asfollows:

First step: The first loop a on the loopholding needle A is taken ontothe pointof the working-needle B, and cast off from needle A, thusbecoming the first loop b on needle B. When this isdone, a few stitches.may be taken in any well-known way for forming a heavy selvage, if sodesired. This is, however, not essential to the improved fabric.

Second step: The cold C is then thrown under and then over theworking-needle B, constituting a loop b2 on needle B above the loop b.Fig. 3 shows the condition of the work at the end of this step.

Third step: The next two loops a2 and a3 on the loop-holding needle Aare then taken onto the point of the working-needle B.

Fourth step: While the loops a2 a3 are thus held on both needles A B thecord C is passed beneath the strands of the said two loops eX- tendingbetween the needles, and then over the point of the Working-needle abovethe said-loops. The position of the needles and loops at this stage ofthe operation is shown in Fig. 4. Y

Fifth step: The point of the working-needle B is then moved along theside of theloopholding needle A, thus carrying the free end of the cordbetween the strands of the two loops a2 a3. As soon as the point of theworking-needle has passed clear through both loops a2 a3 it is entirelyfreed therefrom, and the needles and loops occupy the position shown inFig. 5. The portion of the free end of the cord which has been drawnthrough the two loops a2 a3 is left as aloop h3 around theworking-needle. It will be observed as the result of this movement thatboth strands of the Spo loop b3 are drawn through loops o1.2 and a3, so

that its two strands are embraced by two strands. rlhe two loops a2 a3are then cast oif from the loop-holding needle A, constituting the firstdouble loop of the fabric.

This completes a single sequence of operations, and vsteps two, three,four, and five are repeated in order until all of the loops a a are castoff from needle A and a series of loops b b2 b3, dre., are vformed onneedle B. Needle B then becomes the loopholding needle, and needle A theworking-needle, and the operations are continued until the fabric iscompleted. This method of knitting produces a fabric like that shown inFig. 1. This figure shows the fabric in a position which it would occupyon the assumption that the IOO of the loops and strands.

rows of loops run up and down, so that in following the loops it must benoted that they extend up and down -instead of from side to side. Anexamination of this figure will show that it is made up of rows ofdouble loops, each double loop being composed of two outside strands c eand an intermediate strand d, forming loops fg at opposite ends ofstrand d. The strand c comes from and is a continuation of strand e ofthe preceding double loop and lies adjacent to the loop f, and thestrand e passes adjacent to the loop g to the next succeeding doubleloop, becoming strand c thereof.

From the description of the knitting just given it will be noted that.the first loops knitted onto one needle are the last to be cast olftherefrom, so that a'ny given row of double loops is knit in a directionopposite to that of the adjacent rows of double loops. This is indicatedin Fig. 1 by reversing the lettering The loop f and its adjacent strand'c are embraced by the loop g and its adjacent strand e of the precedingrow of double loops, and the'loop g and its adjacent strand eareembraced by the loop f and its adjacent strand c of the succeeding 'rowof double loops.

The relation between the strands and loops as lettered in Fig. 1 and ofthe loops as lettered in Figs. 2 to 5 are as follows: Strand cis thatportion of loop b2 which is above needle B. Loop g is that'portion ofthe cord which connects loops b2 and b3, and which passes beneath theloopsol.2 and as, as stated in the description of the fourth step. lStrand d is that portion of the loop b3 which is drawn through the loopsa2 a.s viu the fifth step, and

which, as shown in Fig. 5, surrounds the needle B. Lofop f is theportion of the cordover whichthe loops a2 a3 are passedin being castoff-the needle A, and strand e is the next adjacent part of the cordwhich is in`readiness to continue the knitting.

In the fabric thus formed it will be seen that every single loop of onerow is embraced by two strands of the adjacent row, so that at everyinterlocking of the rows when the same' are strained by a weight, twostrands pull against two strands. Thus the fabric isl made twice asstrong as a fabric-such as hammocks ordinarily are made of-in which vonestrand passes over a single strand at a time. This feature of theimproved fabric makes it particularly adapted for use in hammocks, whichhave hitherto been made either of knotted cords or of strands simplyinter woven. The knotted hammocks are expensive in their manufacture,and do not accommodate themselves readily-to the position of a' personusing the same, and in case of a cord breaking in the woven hammocks itat once unravels, leaving large holes in the hammock. The improvedfabric makes an elastic and yet yielding hammock, which accommodatesitself to the occupant, and has no hard knots to renderit'uncomfortable, and incase a cord breaks its broken ends will notunravel, since the tension at the next double loops will bind the endsof the cord, so that` they cannot unravel.

I claim as my invention- A knit fabric composed of rows of double loops,each double loop being formed of three strands, one reaching from thepreceding double loop, one extending to the next double loop, 'and anintermediate strand connecting the other. two strands and forming asingle loop with each strand, one of said single loops being embracedby-a singleloop and a strand of the preceding row of double loops, andthe other single loop being embraced by a single loop and a strand ofthe succeeding row of double loops, substantially as setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.4 v

' CONRAD HEINOLD.

Witnesses: Y

. JOHN W. LANEHART, J AMES H. OKELLY.

